The Kansas City Chiefs have always valued athleticism in the NFL Draft. There’s been an even larger emphasis there lately, with the speed the Chiefs have acquired on the offensive side of the ball. The 2020 draft class is no exception, bringing a new wave of elite athleticism to Kansas City.
Kent Lee Platte, the creator of Relative Athletic Score (RAS), has the Chiefs landing one of the most athletic classes in the 2020 NFL Draft. RAS is basically a composite grade given to players based on their official athletic testing scores ahead of the draft. The RAS average for the Chiefs’ 2020 draft class sits at 8.2, which is considered above the “elite” range.
Check it out:
Taking a look at the #RAS of the #Chiefs 2020 draft class.
Their class averaged a RAS of 8.2.
They had 2 players score in elite range, over 8.00.
They had 0 players score below 5.00.
The rest fell inbetween. pic.twitter.com/38U2hQaJ7T— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2020
Of course, three players the Chiefs drafted didn’t test at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine or Pro Days ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. Those players don’t qualify for the average. It’s still impressive that the Chiefs managed to grab two players with “elite” RAS outside of the top-50 picks in the draft.
The three players that do qualify are RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LB Willie Gay Jr., and CB L’Jarius Sneed.
With pick 32 in the 2020 NFL Draft, the #Chiefs selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Louisiana State.
He posted an okay #RAS with poor size, okay speed, elite explosiveness, at the RB position.https://t.co/CrW5btO9FZ#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/IWJ0cPFkf4
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 24, 2020
Edwards-Helaire’s size and 40-yard dash time are what really bring down his scores. He did, however, record an elite explosion grade.
With pick 63 in the 2020 NFL Draft, the #Chiefs selected Willie Gay Jr., LB, Mississippi State.
He posted an elite #RAS with good size, elite speed, elite explosiveness, good agility at the LB position.https://t.co/riJUv8Xp6D#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/m4Ox6Ddnm3
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2020
Gay Jr. posted the fourth-best RAS by a linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft, narrowly behind only Isaiah Simmons, Kenneth Murray and Carter Coughlin.
L'Jarius Sneed is a FS prospect in the 2020 draft class out of Louisiana Tech.
He posted an elite #RAS with poor size, elite speed, elite explosiveness, at the FS position.https://t.co/KeGwOU9tyz pic.twitter.com/91OR3Q4vBE
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2020
Sneed is an interesting one. He’s in the system as a free safety because that is where he played at Louisiana Tech in 2019. We’ve learned that he’s making the switch back to corner in Kansas City. Plug Sneed’s numbers in as a cornerback and I suspect you have a player with a perfect 10 RAS or slightly under it. His scores are remarkably similar to that of Marshon Lattimore, who landed a perfect 10 RAS in 2017.
This draft class is certainly as athletic as advertised, and I suspect that players like Lucas Niang, Mike Danna and BoPete Keyes wouldn’t have brought the average RAS down that much had they tested. Danna, in particular, is a player with a reputation as being a very good athlete but was snubbed from the combine.
For the players that we have RAS scores for, it’s hard not to be excited about their potential in Kansas City. Top-notch athleticism combined with some of the best coaches that the NFL has to offer is a recipe for success.